DELHI: Eating a diet rich in animal proteins -
both meat and dairy products - during middle ages
causes as much risk of cancer as smoking, a new study
has found. This startling result emerges from a two
decade long study of over six thousand people carried
out by University of South Carolina (USC) scientists.
It is for the first time that a definitive correlation
between high protein consumption and mortality risk
has been shown. Earlier research gave conflicting
answers and many popular diets like Atkin's
recommended a high protein diet. The present study is
published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
"Almost everyone is going to have a cancer cell or pre-
cancer cell in them at some point. The question is:
Does it progress?" said corresponding author Valter
Longo, professor of biogerontology at the USC Davis
School of Gerontology and director of the USC
Longevity Institute. "Turns out one of the major factors
in determining if it does is is protein intake."
Not only is excessive protein consumption linked to a
dramatic rise in cancer mortality, but middle-aged
people who eat lots of proteins from animal sources—
including meat, milk and cheese—are also more
susceptible to early death in general, reveals the study.
Protein-lovers were 74 percent more likely to die of
any cause within the study period than their more
low-protein counterparts. They were also several times
more likely to die of diabetes.
"There's a misconception that because we all eat,
understanding nutrition is simple. But the question is
not whether a certain diet allows you to do well for
three days, but can it help you survive to be 100?" said
Longo.
Rather than look at adulthood as one monolithic phase
of life, as other researchers have done, the latest study
considers how biology changes as we age, and how
decisions in middle life may play out across the
human lifespan.
In other words, what's good for you at one age may be
damaging at another. Protein controls the growth
hormone IGF-I, which helps our bodies grow but has
been linked to cancer susceptibility. Levels of IGF-I
drop off dramatically after age 65, leading to potential
frailty and muscle loss. The study shows that while
high protein intake during middle age is very harmful,
it is protective for older adults: those over 65 who ate
a moderate- or high-protein diet were less susceptible
to disease.
Crucially, the researchers found that plant-based
proteins, such as those from beans, did not seem to
have the same mortality effects as animal proteins.
Rates of cancer and death also did not seem to be
affected by controlling for carbohydrate or fat
consumption, suggesting that animal protein is the
main culprit.
Longo's findings support recommendations from
several leading health agencies to consume about 0.8
grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every
day in middle age. For example, a 130-pound person
should eat about 45-50 grams of protein a day, with
preference for those derived from plants such as
legumes, Longo explains.
The researchers define a "high-protein" diet as deriving
at least 20 percent of calories from protein, including
both plant-based and animal-based protein. A
"moderate" protein diet includes 10-19 percent of
calories from protein, and a "low-protein" diet includes
less than 10 percent protein.
both meat and dairy products - during middle ages
causes as much risk of cancer as smoking, a new study
has found. This startling result emerges from a two
decade long study of over six thousand people carried
out by University of South Carolina (USC) scientists.
It is for the first time that a definitive correlation
between high protein consumption and mortality risk
has been shown. Earlier research gave conflicting
answers and many popular diets like Atkin's
recommended a high protein diet. The present study is
published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
"Almost everyone is going to have a cancer cell or pre-
cancer cell in them at some point. The question is:
Does it progress?" said corresponding author Valter
Longo, professor of biogerontology at the USC Davis
School of Gerontology and director of the USC
Longevity Institute. "Turns out one of the major factors
in determining if it does is is protein intake."
Not only is excessive protein consumption linked to a
dramatic rise in cancer mortality, but middle-aged
people who eat lots of proteins from animal sources—
including meat, milk and cheese—are also more
susceptible to early death in general, reveals the study.
Protein-lovers were 74 percent more likely to die of
any cause within the study period than their more
low-protein counterparts. They were also several times
more likely to die of diabetes.
"There's a misconception that because we all eat,
understanding nutrition is simple. But the question is
not whether a certain diet allows you to do well for
three days, but can it help you survive to be 100?" said
Longo.
Rather than look at adulthood as one monolithic phase
of life, as other researchers have done, the latest study
considers how biology changes as we age, and how
decisions in middle life may play out across the
human lifespan.
In other words, what's good for you at one age may be
damaging at another. Protein controls the growth
hormone IGF-I, which helps our bodies grow but has
been linked to cancer susceptibility. Levels of IGF-I
drop off dramatically after age 65, leading to potential
frailty and muscle loss. The study shows that while
high protein intake during middle age is very harmful,
it is protective for older adults: those over 65 who ate
a moderate- or high-protein diet were less susceptible
to disease.
Crucially, the researchers found that plant-based
proteins, such as those from beans, did not seem to
have the same mortality effects as animal proteins.
Rates of cancer and death also did not seem to be
affected by controlling for carbohydrate or fat
consumption, suggesting that animal protein is the
main culprit.
Longo's findings support recommendations from
several leading health agencies to consume about 0.8
grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every
day in middle age. For example, a 130-pound person
should eat about 45-50 grams of protein a day, with
preference for those derived from plants such as
legumes, Longo explains.
The researchers define a "high-protein" diet as deriving
at least 20 percent of calories from protein, including
both plant-based and animal-based protein. A
"moderate" protein diet includes 10-19 percent of
calories from protein, and a "low-protein" diet includes
less than 10 percent protein.
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